Today marks 36 years since the death of Lt Col Thileepan, a political wing leader of the LTTE who fasted to death, in a protest appealing to the Indian government to honour pledges made to the Tamil people.

Thileepan began his fast on the September 15, 1987, with 100,000 people gathered around the historic Nallur Kandwaswamy Temple in Jaffna.

Multiple attempts have been made by the Sri Lankan state to suppress the commemoration of Lt. Col. Thileepan. While these ongoing efforts to suppress Tamil people’s right to remember our heroes has been an implicit state policy, it manifests itself overtly during such landmark commemorative events.

On September 24, Thayaga Arasiyal Thurai conducted a commemoration in Theravil, Mullaitivu, to honour Thiyagi Thileepan as this year marks the 36th anniversary of his death. 

Tamil music composer Santhosh Narayanan paid tribue to Lt Col Thileepan at a memorial in Nallur, Jaffna today as the Tamil nation marks 36 years since his fast unto death. 

Meeting with Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, MA Sumanthiran, US Ambassador Julie Chung to discuss concerns over the proposed anti-terrorism bill; the discovery of mass graves in the North; and reconciliation.

On September 22nd, the 28th anniversary of the Jaffna Nagerkovil Maha Vidyalayam massacre was solemnly observed. The event was attended by the school's Principal, teachers, students, staff, and members of the general public.

On September 15th, the 24th anniversary of the tragic Puthukudiyiruppu aerial bombing massacre was solemnly commemorated. This devastating event unfolded as a result of aerial bombings conducted by the Sri Lankan Air Force, claiming the lives of 24 innocent civilians who were present at the public market when it was bombed.

The 9th day of excavation, conducted on September 15th, marked a significant development in the ongoing investigations at the Kokkuthoduvai mass grave, as the skeletal remains of 3 more victims were exhumed. Alongside this discovery, one more dog tag, belonging to former cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), has been recovered and taken as evidence for further investigations.

A contentious land dispute has erupted between residents of Kokkuveli and Karuppanichchankulam, triggering tensions and leading to a standoff between the two communities. The dispute revolves around an attempted land grab by Sinhala families from Kokkuveli, who seek to build a crematorium and cemetery for their use.

A court in Vavuniya rejected an application filed by Sri Lankan police to ban a memorial float dedicated to Lt Col Thileepan from travelling through Vavuniya. 

The police reportedly filed the application after two people had made a complaint that the memorial float would "disrupt racial harmony". 

On Saturday, a memorial float commemorating Lt Col Thileepan, a political wing leader of the LTTE, set off from Pottuvil and is heading towards Nallur to mark 36 years since his death. 

Thileepan began his fast on the 15th of September 1987, calling on the Indian government to honour pledges made to the Tamil people.